Reading 1 Prv 21:1-6, 10-13

Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD;
wherever it pleases him, he directs it.

All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the LORD who proves hearts.

To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart–
the tillage of the wicked is sin.

The plans of the diligent are sure of profit,
but all rash haste leads certainly to poverty.

Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue
is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.

The soul of the wicked man desires evil;
his neighbor finds no pity in his eyes.

When the arrogant man is punished, the simple are the wiser;
when the wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

The just man appraises the house of the wicked:
there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin.

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself also call and not be heard.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44

R. (35) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.

Alleluia Lk 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

19. Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
20. And it was told him by certain which said, Your mother and your brethren stand without, desiring to see you.
21. And he answered and said to them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

TIT. BOST. Our Lord had left His kinsfolk according to the flesh, and was occupied in His Father's teaching. But when they began to feel His absence, they came to Him, as it is said, Then came to him his mother and his brethren. When you hear of our Lord's brethren you must include also the notions of piety and grace. For no one in regard of His divine nature is the brother of the Savior, (for He is the Only-begotten,) but He has, by the grace of piety, made us partakers in His flesh and His blood, and He who is by nature God has become our brother.

THEOPHYL; But those who are said to be our Lord's brethren according to the flesh, you must not imagine to be the children of the blessed Mary, the mother of God, as Helvidius thinks, nor the children of Joseph by another wife, as some say, but rather believe to be their kinsfolk.

TIT. BOST. His brethren thought that when He heard of their presence He would send away the people, from respect to His mother's name, and from His affection towards her, as it follows, And it was told him, Your mother and your brethren stand without.

CHRYS. Think what it was, when the whole people stood by, and were hanging upon His mouth, (for His teaching had already begun,) to withdraw Him away from them. Our Lord accordingly answers as it were rebuking them, as it follows, And he answered and said to them, My mother and my brethren are they which hear the word of God, and do it, &c.

AMBROSE; The moral teacher who gives himself an example to others, when about to enjoin upon others, that he who has not left father and mother, is not worthy of the Son of God, first submits Himself to this precept, not that He denies the claims of filial piety, (for it is His own sentence, He that knows not his father and mother shall die the death,) but because He knows that He is more bound to obey His Father's mysteries than the feelings of His mother. Nor however are His parents harshly rejected, but the bonds of the mind are shown to be more sacred than those of the body. Therefore in this place He does not disown His mother, (as some heretics say, eagerly catching at His speech,) since she is also acknowledged from the cross; but the law of heavenly ordinances is preferred to earthly affection.

THEOPHYL; They then who hear the word of God and do it, are called the mother of our Lord, because they daily in their actions or words bring Him forth as it were in their inmost hearts; they also are His brethren where they do the will of His Father, Who is in heaven.

CHRYS. Now He does not say this by way of reproof to His mother, but to greatly assist her, for if He was anxious for others to beget in them a just opinion of Himself, much more was He for His mother. And He had not raised her to such a height if she were always to expect to be honored by Him as a son, and never to consider Him as her Lord.

THEOPHYL. But some take this to mean that certain men, hating Christ's teaching, and mocking at Him for His doctrine, said, Your mother and your brethren stand without wishing to see you; as if thereby to show His meanness of birth. And He therefore knowing their hearts gave them this answer, that meanness of birth harms not, but if a man, though of low birth, hear the word of God, He reckons him as His kinsman. Because however hearing only saves no one, but rather condemns, He adds, and does it; for it becomes us both to hear and to do. But by the word of God He means His own teaching. for all the words which He Himself spoke were from His Father.

AMBROSE; In a mystical sense he ought not to stand without who was seeking Christ. Hence also that saying, Come to him, and be enlightened. For if they stand without, not even parents themselves are acknowledged; and perhaps for our example they are not. How are we acknowledged by Him if we stand without? That meaning also is not unreasonable, because by the figure of parents He points to the Jews of whom Christ was born, and thought the Church to be preferred to the synagogue.

THEOPHYL; For they cannot enter within when He is teaching whose words they refuse to understand spiritually. But the multitude went before and entered into the house, because when the Jews rejected Christ the Gentiles flocked to Him. But those who stand without, wishing to see Christ, are they, who not seeking a spiritual sense in the law, have placed themselves without to guard the letter of it, and as it were rather compel Christ to go out, to teach them earthly things, than consent to enter in themselves to learn spiritual things.

Catena Aurea Luke 8

Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest & Martyr, & Saint Paul Chong Ha-sang, Martyr & Their Companions, Martrys

Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon,
Priest & Martyr
&
Saint Paul Chong Ha-sang,
Martyr
& Their Companions, Martrys
Memorial
September 20th

Martyrs_Korea-300x200

Collect:
O God, who have been pleased to increase
your adopted children in all the world,
and who made the blood of the Martyrs
Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon and his companions
a most fruitful seed of Christians,
grant that we may be defended by their help
and profit always from their example.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.

In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.

For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.

Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.

In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.

They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever.

Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

or Romans 8:31b-39

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:23-26
Jesus said to all, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: September 20th

Memorial of St. Andrew Kim, priest and martyr, St. Paul Chong, martyr, and Companions, martyrs

MASS READINGS

September 20, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who have been pleased to increase your adopted children in all the world, and who made the blood of the Martyrs Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon and his companions a most fruitful seed of Christians, grant that we may be defended by their help and profit always from their example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (1)

Beef and Mushroom Kebab

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Activities (1)

Fourteen Holy Helpers

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Prayers (2)

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Library (4)

Old Calendar: St. Eustace and His Companions, martyrs

During the 17th century the Christian faith was brought to Korea through the zeal of lay persons. From the very beginning these Christians suffered terrible persecutions and many suffered martyrdom during the 19th century. Today's feast honors a group of 103 martyrs. Notable of these were Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest, and the lay apostle, Paul Chong Hasang. Also among the Korean martyrs were three bishops and seven priests, but for the most part they were heroic laity, men and women, married and single of all ages. They were canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984.

Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of St. Eustace and His Companions. He was a martyr whose cult was introduced at Rome in the early Middle Ages.

St. Andrew Kim Taegon and St. Paul Chong Hasang and their companions
This first native Korean priest was the son of Korean converts. His father, Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839 and was beatified in 1925. After baptism at the age of fifteen, Andrew traveled thirteen hundred miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years he managed to return to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He was arrested, tortured and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital. Paul Chong Hasang was a lay apostle and a married man, aged forty-five. Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers. Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for an annual journey to Beijing to pay taxes. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study. A home church began. When a Chinese priest managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found four thousand Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were ten thousand Catholics. Religious freedom came in 1883.

When Pope John Paul II visited Korea in 1984, he canonized Andrew, Paul, ninety-eight Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most part they were laypersons: forty-seven women, forty-five men.

Among the martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of twenty-six. She was put in prison, pierced with hot awls and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. A boy of thirteen, Peter Ryou, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a forty-one-year-old noble, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death.

Today there are approximately four million Catholics in Korea.

Excerpted from the Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patron: Korean clergy.

Symbols: Palm frond (for martyrdom); martyr's crown.

Things to Do:

Study the emphasis of the role of the laity in the Church especially in this century, and decide on things you can do as a layperson to help your parish community.
Read Pope John Paul II's homily at the canonization of the 103 Korean Martyrs, read about some of the other Korean martyrs.

St. Eustace and His Companions
The charming legend of Saint Eustace tells how a Roman general named Placidus was once out hunting. He pursued a noble stag, which suddenly turned and approached him. Between the stag's antlers Placidus saw a crucifix. A voice was calling him by name.

The hunter himself had been caught. The vision converted Placidus. He changed his name to Eustace, and gave away much of his money.

The saint still felt able to serve the Roman emperor. Taking up his command again, he led the legions to great victories. By this time his family had become Christian too, and all four of them — Eustace, his wife Theopista, and his sons Agapetus and Theopestus — refused to make sacrifices to pagan gods in the celebrations following his own victories.

All four were accordingly put to death in a bizarre fashion. They were taken to the colosseum in Rome, encased in a bronze bull, and roasted to death.

Although these events are supposed to have taken place around the year 118, no account of Saint Eustace and his family has been found prior to the seventh century. Yet he became one of the most popular saints in the middle ages, celebrated in prose and poetry as well as in art and popular devotion. Eustace is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and he is venerated as the patron of hunters.

Excerpted from the A Calendar of Saints by James Bentley

Patron: against fire; difficult situations; firefighters; hunters; Madrid; torture victims; family troubles.

Symbols: crucifix; stag; oven; white stag on a rock, with a crucifix between antlers; boar spear; hunter's horn; lion; Roman armour; bear, wolf or dog; wicker basket; brazen bull with a fire under it.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44

Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gǒn, Priest, Paul Chǒng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial)

Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I delight. (Psalm 119:35)

We’ve all been in situations in which we were being trained for something. Perhaps it was a new job, a lesson in school, or a military commission. In the course of our training, some commands became so internalized that we still follow them years later: “Say please and thank you.” “Stand up straight.” “Look both ways before you cross the street.” They become second nature to us.

This is how most commands work. Whether to teach us manners, good habits, or independent living skills, rules are drilled into us so that we won’t break them. We probably become thankful for them over time, but rarely would people say that they delight in commands at the moment they are given. But there’s one possible exception: guidance given by a revered mentor.

This is what makes today’s psalm so compelling. The psalmist recognizes that God is the perfect mentor, the perfect parent. He understands that this divine teacher knows his strengths and weaknesses and knows how to help him along. He sees that God’s plans are only for his good, that they are lovingly designed to put him on the right path to happiness. It’s a path that he can truly delight in.

What about you? Can you see God’s love in the commands he has given? You don’t have an absentee father! Almighty God walks beside you every day; he is always ready to help and teach you and to mold you into his image. He is committed to keeping you on the right path and to showing you how to find delight in his ways.

Why does God do all of this? Because he loves you. It’s that simple. He considers you worth the time and effort.

Today, spend time thanking God for his faithfulness to you. Ask him to show you just one “command” that he wants you to delight in. Is it to serve your family? To spend time with him in prayer? To forgive someone who has hurt you? Embrace this command, confident in your Father’s power to transform you.

“Father, thank you for never giving up on me! I place myself on the path of your commands today. Teach me, mold me, and empower me so that I can find delight in your will.”

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Luke 8:19-21

Regnum Christi

September 20, 2016 – We Too Wish to See Jesus

20 Sep 2016

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions, Martyrs

Father Barry O’Toole, LC

Luke 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the author of life and the giver of all that is good. You are the Prince of Peace and my mainstay. You are my healer and the cure itself. I need you, and I need to give you. I love you and commit myself to you entirely, knowing you could never let me down or deceive me. Thank you for giving me your very self.

Petition: Lord, help me hear your word and do it.

1. “We Wish to See Jesus.” Today, as two thousand years ago, mankind longs to see the face of Jesus. Each one has his own reason: some are in need of healing –– like Bartimaeus, the blind man of Jericho who shouted after Jesus until he took pity and cured him (Mark 10:46-52); some out of curiosity –– like Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see Jesus because he was short in stature (Luke 19:2-10); some to hear his word –– like the crowd that pressed in on him to hear the word of God by the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1-10); some out of love and to look after him – like the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene (Mark 15:41). Why do I wish to see him?

2. Christ Is Not Easily Conquered: “They could not reach him because of the crowd.” Though we may seek Christ with the purest of intentions, it is not always easy to achieve our goal. There are bound to be obstacles along the way, and we have to be prepared for them. Satan always tries to separate us from God through sin, even putting the fear of confession in our hearts so we don’t receive God’s healing grace. The world also attempts to keep us as far from God as possible, offering a thousand distractions and amusements to lead us away from prayer, reflection and conversion. And of course sometimes we ourselves are so little inclined to piety, service to others and a virtuous life. Laziness and indolence can overcome even the best of us. We need to let him know we are seeking him.

3. Jesus Rejects His Closest Friends? What counts for Jesus are “those who listen to the word of God and do it.” He came to preach to and save everyone. And contrary to the first impression given by his words, this does not exclude his mother and his relatives. Christ doesn’t lower them but rather elevates us –– and them –– to a degree of intimacy greater than blood ties. This is the beauty of God’s love: He calls us to an ever greater dignity and intimacy with him.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I want to see your face in all the events and happenings of this day. Drive away all my enemies and spiritual tepidity. Cure my spiritual blindness, for you alone can help me. Without you I can do no good. Help me to live up to this dignity you have bestowed upon me.

Resolution: I will reserve five minutes this evening to do a thorough examination of conscience and perhaps prepare for confession. I will eliminate the obstacles I have to seeing God’s face and thank God for the graces he has given me.

Homily of the Day

September 20, 2016

Early in our childhood, we have been taught the value of family and relatives. “Blood is thicker than water” we were often reminded.

I remember in the early days of Boys Town, an orphanage for young boys, there is this story of two orphan brothers, (barely teenagers, I was told) who loved each other so much. Because one was a cripple, the healthier one would carry the other wherever they went. One day they were at the beach. The brother was enjoying himself so much that when he saw his handicapped brother sitting by and just watching, he longed to share the fun of the waves, the sand, the sun and the wind with his brother. And so he carried his brother while frolicking at the beach. When asked by the warden whether it was difficult to take care of a handicapped brother, his simple reply was “He ain’t heavy. He’s my brother.”

Such is the noble potential of family relationships. Love for one another transcends all difficulties.

Two things strike me in today’s Gospel passage. First, Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” He is actually testifying to the discipleship of Mary and his relatives. They listen and they do the word of God.

Second, anyone who hears the word of God and does it is a member of God’s family.

This is good news, indeed! The family of God extends beyond blood relations. Even at his time, Jesus was already preaching “inclusivity” as against exclusivity. If I hear the word of God and if I do it, then, I am a member of God’s family!

Members of the family, as we know and experience, care for each other. We look after each other. As the orphan boy would remind us, “They ain’t heavy. They’re our brothers and sisters.”

What am I doing to help my family hear and do the word of God? Who are these members of the family of God within my circle of influence? What am I doing for my brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers in the family of God who need help, who are poor, who are sick, who are lonely? What does it take to be a member of the family of God?

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 32, Issue 5

<< Tuesday, September 20, 2016 >>

Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon,
Paul Chong Hasang,
& the Korean Martyrs

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
View Readings

Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44

Luke 8:19-21
Similar Reflections

WATER FOUNTAIN

"Like a stream is the king's heart in the hand of the Lord; wherever it pleases Him, He directs it." —Proverbs 21:1

The Lord wants our hearts to become like water in His hand. With our hand, we can sprinkle, splash, stir, hold, throw, or pour water. Water offers little resistance. We can almost do anything we want with it.

Is your heart like water in God's hand, or is it like ice or glue? Will you let the Lord pour you out as a libation (Phil 2:17; 2 Tm 4:6), or are you only a drip? Can you be splashed and sprinkled, or are you so set in your ways that you are like molasses? Will you let the Lord throw you into anything at any time, or are you sticky? When God stirs you, do you thank and praise Him, or do you complain? Will you let the Lord hold you, or are you leaky?

When we totally give our lives to Jesus, we "accept the gift of life-giving water" (Rv 22:17). When we receive the Holy Spirit, from within us "rivers of living water" flow (Jn 7:38). The water Jesus gives us becomes "a fountain" within us "leaping up to provide eternal life" (Jn 4:14). We have rivers of leaping, living water within us. Be like water in God's hand.

Prayer: Father, make me humble and docile to Your touch.

Promise: Jesus said: "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it." —Lk 8:21

Praise: The Korean martyrs did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for He Who is Life. Their martyrdom laid the foundation of faith for the Church in Korea.

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Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 8
19.	And his mother and brethren came unto him; and they could not come at him for the crowd.	Venerunt autem ad illum mater et fratres ejus, et non poterant adire eum præ turba.	παρεγενοντο δε προς αυτον η μητηρ και οι αδελφοι αυτου και ουκ ηδυναντο συντυχειν αυτω δια τον οχλον
20.	And it was told him: Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.	Et nuntiatum est illi : Mater tua et fratres tui stant foris, volentes te videre.	και απηγγελη αυτω λεγοντων η μητηρ σου και οι αδελφοι σου εστηκασιν εξω ιδειν σε θελοντες
21.	Who answering, said to them: My mother and my brethren are they who hear the word of God, and do it.	Qui respondens, dixit ad eos : Mater mea et fratres mei hi sunt, qui verbum Dei audiunt et faciunt.	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν προς αυτους μητηρ μου και αδελφοι μου ουτοι εισιν οι τον λογον του θεου ακουοντες και ποιουντες αυτον

September 20, 2016

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs

Reading 1 Prv 21:1-6, 10-13

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44

Alleluia Lk 11:28

Gospel Lk 8:19-21

Ordinary Time: September 20th

Memorial of St. Andrew Kim, priest and martyr, St. Paul Chong, martyr, and Companions, martyrs

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

Recipes (1)

Activities (1)

Prayers (2)

Library (4)

Meditation: Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44

September 20, 2016 – We Too Wish to See Jesus

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions, Martyrs

Father Barry O’Toole, LC

One Bread, One Body

WATER FOUNTAIN